


of arrears and adversity

by sybilandromeda



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Nuzlocke Challenge, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, promptly takes a flamethrower to canon relations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 07:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10715238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sybilandromeda/pseuds/sybilandromeda
Summary: Sophia had originally come to the Kalos region to stay with her aunt so she could help work off her mother's debt back in Kanto. It was going to be a chance for the girl to go on her journey as well, that her mother had insisted on keeping her away from until she had no other option. Little does she know what she's getting into...





	of arrears and adversity

**Author's Note:**

> aight so this is BASICALLY going to be a nuzlocke challenge fic
> 
> at the same time though, this is pretty much going to be venting unarticulated writing energies into something halfway productive, and i'm at liberty to do whatever the heck i like with this
> 
> so yeah don't expect this stuff to have much in terms of rails or coherency
> 
> also, here are the rules of the road:
> 
> 1\. typical nuzlocke fare; catch the first pokemon seen on a route, if you faint it, you outta luck. also everyone gets nicknames. e v e r y o n e.  
> 2\. also typical nuzlocke fare: if a pokemon faints, they're dead. revives are but shams and illusions here and will be sold for dat dosh.  
> 3\. absolutely no buying items. any items used in the run will be found on the field, or given away by other characters. pokemon centers have unlimited uses to counterbalance this.  
> 4\. i don't think this comes up at any point (i'm basically re-reviewing as i play) but if there are pokemon that can be bought, they are not allowed to be bought.  
> 5\. all grind sessions are to take place at the battle chateau for dosh gathering.  
> 6\. exp share is not allowed to be used. amie, however, will be allowed. just to make sure everything hurts more!!  
> 7\. in the event of a full party wipe, if there are still pokemon in the PC, the run will not be over. however, once all pokemon have been expended, the wipe becomes real

The clacking of dishes was something that Sophia had become all too used to in her time living with aunt Grace. The woman had been sure to work on some of her nieces bad habits; her work ethic, for one, was something that received an immediate working on. It was honestly nice to have things to do, all things considered. While Vaniville was quiet in comparison to the hustle and bustle of Saffron, living closer to ground level made her restless and unable to resort to her old habits. That, and Grace wouldn't stand for it. Sure, she wound up watching Calem and Shauna for a while, but Grace made sure that she went out and talked to the two of them. She kept on Sophia, making sure she didn't regress back to her habits--while also making sure to be light on the girl to an extent.

Kalos was an interesting place, even if Sophia hadn't seen much of it yet. The Tv always made it seem like this dream land of beauty and grandeur, something that could only be observed on a book cover. The place that reminded her most of home was Lumiose, really. The biggest city in the region, and she wasn't really sure whether she could compare it more to Saffron, or what she's heard of Celadon--

"Phi, you're spacing off!"

...Oh. Sophia looked over to her aunt as she passed another plate to dry off. Taking it easily, she nodded her head as she snapped back into reality.

"So! As I was saying, you're going to love Kalos. There's no better region to be in! It may not have Rhyhorn racing, but it makes up in lots of charm. You'll be right at home in Lumiose too! I bet you'll be running laps right around the city to see everything it has to offer."

"Sophia is sorry for spacing off. Can she have another dish, please?"

It took a couple of seconds, but as she set the plate down, she could feel her aunt's hand ruffling her hair with a chuckle. She didn't know what the joke was, really, until she saw the water being drained from the sink. They were finished? Sophia wondered just how long she let her mind wander...

"We're all done here! Come on, let's go sit down."

"Okay."

With that, Sophia and Grace set aside their wash cloths and made their way back into the living room to sit down. It was still something for Sophia to get used to, honestly. But it was comforting in it's own fashion. It was something Grace had to get her used to, coming down for dinner and then staying down there to chat. It was nice.

"So?"

"...Huh?"

"Are you excited for tomorrow? It's going to be a big day!"

"Oh, Sophia is excited, yes!" Sophia thought about it for a moment, tapping her lip before nodding. "Very excited. But...um...."

"What is it?" Grace sounded a little concerned, but her face remained the same. Maybe a little bit strained, but...

"It's...scary, and exciting? Or...um...scare-citing, she thinks?" Sophia paused for a moment, looking away. Words weren't exactly coming easy, but it was still a little embarrassing to acknowledge that.. "...That's not a word."

"Oh, you don't even worry about that!" Grace seemed far more upbeat in response. "You're expressing yourself! Even if it's scary, it's going to be a good experience for you! Calem and Shauna will be right there with you, too. They'll make sure it goes off without a hitch!"

Grace reaches across the table to ruffle her niece's hair again, causing Sophia's expression to quirk a bit. "I'll support you, too--no less than full throttle! It'll be tough, but I know you're even tougher!"

"Can Sophia...ask something?"

"Of course! What's the question?"

"Is she...um, allowed to like this?" Sophia's tone was a little more vulnerable, in contrast with her usually blank tone. She fidgeted with her arms a bit before she spoke up again. If nothing else, it didn't seem like she'd said something wrong if Grace's face was anything to go by. "Sophia means...this is to help Mom first, right? So she can't really...um..."

"Sophia." Grace's tone sounded far more strained when she brought that up--like she was restraining herself from saying something. Either way, hearing her actual name got Sophia to flinch up a bit. She'd been okay a few seconds ago, was it-- "Your mother did some really, really stupid things. You shouldn't have to shoulder this--it's like forcing a beginner to run a race with the biggest names!" Grace had plenty more she could say about Sophia's mom, but she took a breath to calm herself. There wasn't any use in raving about her sister in front of her daughter--especially when she started to look uncomfortable.

"You _are_ allowed to enjoy this, Phi. This isn't just to get Violet back on her feet! This is so you can go on your own lap around the track! You could have just been stuck up there for the rest of your life..."

"Is that bad?" Sophia seemed genuinely confused when her aunt brought that up. It's what she's known best, after all.

"If I had a daughter--if you were my daughter--I wouldn't have sheltered you so much. Violet was..." Grace looked to see the odd look on Sophia's face, and stopped there. Maybe it'd be better to explain something like this later on. Within an instant, Grace's face was back to a smile. "...She's going to be okay. Don't worry about that, Phi. She's got a daughter going for broke, after all! But that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy yourself either, okay?"

"...Okay. Sophia gets it." Sophia didn't really, if she could be honest. But people tended to like that answer, and maybe it was better that things about her mom were more vague. Even if she believed in the woman still.

"Good! I don't want you to think it's just for her sake. It's for yours too! The world is such a wonderful place, and you're going to enjoy it." Grace paused for a moment, looking a little pensive before-- "You've gotten better. You know that, right?"

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah. Just a month ago, you barely even spoke to others. Now, you're speaking with me and your friends easily!"

"Oh, is...she really doing a good job?" Sophia seemed almost shocked when she heard that. "Sophia isn't that good with words..."

"You don't have to be! You get your point across very well! And if you need help, you'll have your friends with you." That earns another hair ruffle. "You're going to do so well out there, Phi. I have faith in you."

"...Thank you, aunt Grace." That manages to get a genuine smile out of Sophia. "Sophia is sorry for bringing that up. She hopes you are okay?"

"Don't worry about it! Here, watch some TV--I heard they have a segment on local legends that I think you might like!"

"Really?! Sophia really wants to see it, then!" Sophia practically squealed at the thought.

"Alright, let me change the channel then--who knows, maybe you'll find one of them one day! Wouldn't that be a treat?"

It was a simple night, but after so long...something like this was actually really nice. A bit of peace in the midst of all the hubris that tomorrow was sure to bring.

Sophia, despite reservations, looked forward to it.

**Author's Note:**

> PARTY STATUS:
> 
> None.
> 
> PC STATUS:
> 
> Empty.
> 
> DEAD:
> 
> None!
> 
> DEBT:
> 
> 0/5,000,000


End file.
